The forms of Cheremis music are primarily iterative and reverting. The vocal technique of the Cheremis is fairly relaxed and non-pulsating, approximating that of much of European folk music. It consists of turns, trills, and grace notes. Ornamentation is fairly common and is built from the same melodic and rhythmic material as the rest of the song. Notes of the same length appear sometimes in groups of two or four, but not in longer series. The rhythm is relatively simple there are no great contrasts between very long and very short notes. About three durational values for each song is average. Most of the Cheremis songs are isometric, and the vast majority are in quadruple meter.
Large leaps, like fourths, fifths, sixths, and octaves, occur somewhat less frequently. Minor thirds and major seconds are the most important intervals in both scale and melody. The scales are predominantly pentatonic, with somewhat more than half of them anhemitonic. Undulating and gradually descending, as well as occasional ascending, movement is present. The melodic movement and the range are rather diverse. In the following summary, which will serve to integrate the foregoing discussion, the main features of Cheremis style are described. For the most part, there is nothing in Cheremis music which is not found with considerable frequency in some other styles of folk and primitive music. The dominant musical style of the Cheremis is relatively simple, and corresponds in this respect to some of the simpler styles of folk and primitive music, although, except in children’s songs, it does not approach the extreme simplicity of some primitive styles.
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